Ultima V Nitpicks
Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny was the first Ultima to remain mostly consistent with the story and general world of Ultima IV. 'Warriors', however, adds a new dimension to the conflict. The engine now has the ability to include chairs, mirrors, hay, gates, etc., and the impressive world is lacking the black-and-white characterizations of Ultima IV. A story this impressive, will have nitpicks; however, since the engine is not yet at the Ultima VII level, some limitations should be ignored. Ignorance of Predecessors Rune Stones It’s strange that we don’t hear a single word about the rune stones in Ultima V. They were last seen when the Stranger became the Avatar in Ultima IV, and in Ultima VI, they’ll suddenly reappear in the cities.Originally submitted by Hacki Dragon Life of Sentri The designers missed the opportunity to tell us why Sentri, the lord of Serpent’s Hold in Ultima IV, has suddenly become an adventurer hiding in Bordermarch. I also thought the three castles offer resistance against Blackthorn, so why then is Sentri not with his men in the keep? Hypothesis: In Serpent's Hold there's a sign supporting the Eight Laws. Probably Sentri didn't feel safe enough there. Book, Bell and Candle Where are the Book of Truth, Candle of Love, and Bell of Courage?Originally submitted by Tribun Dragon Isle of the Avatar According to everybody’s statements, the Isle of the Avatar rose from the sea after the end of the last game. However, the Isle was already there in Ultima IV! Eight City-States The Book of Lore, Ultima IV history part, reads: "The eight city-states, now townes united under Lord British, were each dedicated to fostering the study and spread of a single virtue." They obviously forgot about Magincia here. Magincia once was the city of pride, until it was destroyed by daemons (before Ultima IV). It wasn’t until after the Quest of the Avatar that shepherds rebuilt the town. Therefore, that line in the Book of Lore can not be correct, since there were only seven towns in Britannia before Ultima V.Originally submitted by Flash Anyways, the people of Vesper know a lot about Humility: it is possible that they are survivors from Old Magincia, and that they re-settled New Magincia later. No Return At the end of Ultima IV, when you returned to Earth, it said you could always return to Britannia now, because you knew the "secret of the gates". However, all later Ultimas (especially Ultima V) claim that you’d love to return to Britannia but can’t. Maybe it was too optimistic, and the Earth lacked something, like magic in everyday life, necessary to summon a Moongate, but Britannians could have overlooked that. Lord of the Underworld According to the Book of Mystic Wisdom, Z is the first letter of the unpronounceable truename of the Lord of the Underworld. If we believe Ultima V, the Underworld does not come into being until after Ultima IV, or, if you take Ultima VI into account, you should meet that Lord then. (Any chance this is an unknown name of Draxinusom?) Technical Shortcomings New Islands Did the islands that now house keeps like Bordermarch really rise through volcanic activities only? If this is true, then villages and towns should have been affected as well. Location of Buccaneer's Den On the map of Britannia, Buccaneer’s Den is too far to the south! The reason is pretty clear: The spot where the island is located in the game is exactly where the Ultima V logo was placed on the map.Originally submitted by Hacki Language of the Codex Ultima lore says the Codex always appears in the language of the reader. However, when the Avatar reads it, it shows runes instead of Latin characters. Actually, language and alphabet are two different things: one could write English words with Egyptian hyeroglyphs, for example. Dry Lake The Drylands throw up some questions. Not only is it most suspicious that the lake suddenly dried up, but it’s also even more strange that the Shrine of Sacrifice remains completely unharmed at the very center of the desert.Originally submitted by Hyena of Ice What Kind of Adventuring Clothes Are Those? The Lord British sprite wears a crown - That’s impossible, because the Avatar has Lord British’s Crown. The sprite also wears a royal cloak, which seems strange, since Lord British originally was on an expedition and surely wore more comfortable clothes. The stranger part is that no one seems to recognize Lord British despite his royal garb, "An Apparition", "The Strangely Familiar old man Vanishes"... Neither the Avatar nor anybody in his party can recognize Lord British??? Even as a Spiritual Projection over the campfire??? Pegbyter Dragon 12:32, May 25, 2011 (UTC) Maybe Lord British is not recognized because all the Companions thoughtfully excluded he could be dressed with royal clothes and crown on a dangerous expedition. Both Dungeon Entrances Sealed When the Avatar journeys to the Underworld through a dungeon and tries to return to the surface through a different dungeon, the entrance will be sealed! It’s a bit strange that the spell of the Great Council was powerful enough to seal even the dungeon exits at the ground of the Underworld.Originally submitted by Blue Claw Magic Ban In the intro it’s mentioned that Blackthorn banned magic use in Britannia, and that any use of magic brought the Shadowlords upon the caster. This raises two possible flaws: 1. If magic was supposedly banned by Blackthorn, then why are apothecaries still allowed to do business? They sell the primary ingredients for spellcasting! Little wonder Blackie’s regime fell with such lax totalitarianism like that... 2. Whenever the Avatar casts magic, should that not bring the Shadowlords to his very location each time? Response: I can't speak for the other reagents, but garlic, ginseng, mandrake, and spider silk all have non-magical uses. Orb of the Moons Why did Lord British not take the Orb of the Moons with him when he entered the Underworld? If he had done so, then he and his companions could have escaped any time... (The only possible excuse: He did not want to take the risk of losing the Orb. But someone that cautious normally doesn’t undertake dangerous expeditions into unknown worlds, either!) Bloody Skeletons Skeletons leave blood when you kill them. This could easily have been fixed.Originally submitted by Dino the Dark Dragon Oppression Guards In Ultima V, the three castles are supposed to be opposing Blackthorn. However, his own guards guard the castles. (The Oppression does an excellent job, doesn’t it?) Maybe the guards are just dressed the same, each side expecting their opponents to change their uniforms. Mysterious Clearing When the Avatar arrives in Britannia and the scene with the Shadowlords takes place, you see a stream, a bridge, and a waterfall. However, all this happens in close vicinity of Iolo’s Hut, where there’s no stream or waterfall, or even a bridge, nearby. (Note that the Avatar and Iolo have to carry Shamino to the hut, so it must be close...)Originally submitted by Trevor Clim Quick Change On the intro picture with the lightning, when the Avatar arrives in Britannia, he wears a helmet. Yet in the very next scene, he suddenly wears a chain coif. The Vanishing Stove The programmers reproduced Lord British’s cell with every detail reflected through the mirror. However, they forgot the stove! Well, if he had any comfort, his prisony would have been too easy... General Problems Lazy and Confused Guards Have you noticed how lazy and confused the guards seem to be in Ultima V? Especially in Yew! Despite the fact that you have a wanted poster in town, NONE of the guards recognize you or your companions; to say nothing of attempting to arrest you at all for being fugitives on the run. You can run amuck in town, freeing all the prisoners in the cells, freeing the father and son locked in the stocks; all in plain view of the guards. Yet, they do absolutely nothing to stop either you or act to recapture the prisoners you just freed. The only thing they DO seem to care about is how much tribute they demand for Blackthorn if you're unfortunate enough to run into one of them. It's only if you DONT pay the legalized extortion that gets you arrested on the spot! "You are under arrest, will thou come quietly?" Pegbyter Dragon 13:11, May 25, 2011 (UTC) Lack of Resistance The three castles (Lycaeum, Empath Abbey, and Serpent’s Hold) are said to offer resistance against Blackthorn’s regime. However, the guards don’t keep anyone from entering the keeps, and there is no sign of fighting or even war. Strange. Codex Coin What actually happens to the Codex coin in the course of the game? Creation of the Underworld The Underworld can’t have been created just by the material thrown out of the Abyss, if only because of the Underworld’s size. So it’s nonsense what Iolo says in the introduction. Dungeon Doom's Seal Why is dungeon Doom actually sealed? The Great Council didn’t even know it existed! Likewise, why is the Word of Power for Doom the same as the password for the Codex in Ultima IV? Shadowlords' Escape Everyone keeps saying that the Shadowlords had not been able not leave the Underworld until Lord British shortly opened one dungeon to descend. But why didn’t they simply leave the Underworld by flying up through a whirlpool? If humans survive this, then it’d hardly be surprising if they survived it, too...! '''Response: '''It is not a given that the Shadowlords can fly. Hovering over a pit is not nearly the same as flying a mile straight up. Lord British's Descent They say Lord British descended into the Underworld through a dungeon, which is simply wrong. The expedition went through the waterfall west of Trinsic. This naturally leads to the question how the Shadowlords could escape from the Underworld at all...Originally submitted by Sergorn Dragon Location of the Lycaeum Leof in North Brittany says the Lycaeum is located on Dagger Isle, but it is actually located on Verity Isle. Cowardice is the Same as Fear When you enter a towne shrouded in cowardice, the people behave as though their every act is driven by terror. Most cowards are not typically more fearful than anyone else. They will, however, succumb to fear when courage is necessary. Grass are greener... Underworld? Notice how in several spots in the Underworld has rather green grass, despite the lack of sunlight. Should have been easy to make it all tan or brown for bare ground. Or maybe they're just green mushrooms and fungi. References and original contributors to Hacki's page External links * Hacki's Ultima Nitpicks - hosted by Bootstrike Ultima V Nitpicks